Unwind - Neal Shusterman

Unwind by Neal Shusterman was a scary read. In it the United States have had a second civil war between pro- choice and pro- life armies. The compromise that was created in order to end the conflict was that life is sacred up until the age of 13, but when the child is between the ages of 13 and 18 their parents can choose to have them Unwound. Being unwound basically means that the unlucky teenager is dismembered, with their body parts and organs being donated to those in need or those who simply aren't happy with their eyes, hair etc. Thus the members of government who created the legislation and the parents who choose to have their children unwound are alleviated of their guilt, since the child is not really dead, they are just living a different existence. 

The premise seems a bit silly at first, I mean who would possibly think that it is acceptable to end the lives of thousands of teenagers simply because they're behaving badly, or are a financial burden. But, Shusterman has crafted Unwind  in such a way that the entire story seems totally plausible. 

The story focuses on three very different teenagers who are being unwound for very different reasons. Connor is an out of control teenager whose parents decide to have him unwound so they won't have to deal with him any longer ( I do have to say though that one would think having the threat of being unwound hanging over your head would be enough to stop you from rebelling against your parents...). Risa who was abandoned by her parents and became a ward of the state and is not quite talented enough at the piano to warrant the government paying for her survival. Finally there is Lev, who is a tithe, which means his parents conceived him for the express purpose of having him be unwound. I really liked all three characters, though I do have to say that I felt that Lev really went through the biggest range of development and certainly he changed the most out of our three main characters. 

There are sequels which are likely well written and enjoyable, but I think that Unwind reads well as a stand alone novel. A really interesting read.

Enjoy!